2011: Greg's Albums of the Year

In the first half of the year I really wasn't all too impressive with this year's music. However, I have come to realize in this latter part of the year that there were tons of truly brilliant and inspired albums. What made it so tough to realize this (and what made it so difficult to pick albums of the year) was how many great albums there were. For me, it came down to what I really thought this year represented: the return of adults making fantastic records (e.g. Kate Bush, Wilco, Feist, Paul Simon, J Mascis, Thurston Moore, PJ Harey) or the year of amazingly crafted sounds on records (e.g. The Weeknd, Julianna Barwick, James Blake, Bon Iver, Shabazz Palaces, The War on Drugs). Interestingly enough, it seems that my top records of the year are some how a combination of both of what I just mentioned: superb sounding concept records with a little bit of wisdom. Enjoy! Have a great new year!



Honorable Mentions
Deerhoof -- Deerhoof vs. Evil

Paul Simon -- So Beautiful or So What

Wild Flag -- Wild Flag

WU LYF -- Go Tell Fire to the Mountain

Zola Jesus -- Conatus 

TV On the Radio -- Nine Types of Light

SBTRKT -- SBTRKT

Sandro Perri -- Sandro Perri



50 - 26
50.) My Morning Jacket -- Circuital 

49.) Tim Hecker -- Ravedeath, 1972

48.) Mother Mother -- Eureka

47.) Jay-Z & Kanye West -- Watch The Throne

46.) Oneothrix Point Never -- Replica

45.) Youth Lagoon -- The Year of Hibernation

44.) Modeselektor -- Monkeytown

43.) The Streets -- Computers & Blues

42.) Megafaun -- Megafaun

41.) Tyler, The Creator -- Goblin

40.) The War on Drugs -- Slave Ambient

39.) Death Cab for Cutie -- Codes & Keys

38.) Fountains of Wayne -- Sky Full of Holes

37.) The Decemberists -- The King Is Dead

36.) Cloud Nothings -- Cloud Nothings

35.) The Field -- Looping State of Mind

34.) Nicolas Jarr -- Space Is Only Noise

33.) Colin Stetson -- New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

32.) Los Campesinos! -- Hello Sadness

31.) Shabazz Palaces -- Black Up

30.) The Mountain Goats -- All Eternals Deck

29.) Smith Westerns -- Dye It Blonde

28.) Destroyer -- Kaputt

27.) Feist -- Metals

26.) Kurt Vile -- Smoke Rings For My Halo



Top 25

25.) The Roots -- Undun

24.) Cults -- Cults

23.) Bill Callahan -- Apocalypse 

22.) J Mascis -- Several Shades of Why

21.) Nerves Junior -- As Bright As Your Night Light

20.) Unknown Mortal Orchestra -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra 

19.) James Blake -- James Blake 

18.) DJ Diamond -- Flight Muzik

17.) Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx -- We're New Here

16.) PJ Harvey -- Let England Shake

15.) St. Vincent -- Strange Mercy 

14.) Atlas Sound -- Parallax

13.) Bon Iver -- Bon Iver 

12.) The Antlers -- Burst Apart

11.) Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues

10.) Radiohead -- The King of Limbs

Radiohead -- "Codex"

9.) King Creosote & Jon Hopkins

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins -- "Bats in the Attic"

8.) Real Estate -- Days

Real Estate -- "Wonder Years"

7.) Yuck -- Yuck

Yuck -- "Georgia"

6.) Girls -- Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Girls -- "Honey Bunny"

5.) Wye Oak -- Civilian

Wye Oak -- "Civilian"

4.) The Weeknd -- House of Balloons

The Weeknd -- "The Morning"

3.) Julianna Barwick -- The Magic Place

Julianna Barwick -- "Vow"

2.) tUnE-YarDs -- w h o k i l l

tUnE-YarDs -- "Killa"

1.) Wilco -- The Whole Love

Wilco -- "The Whole Love"

2011: Top 10 Productions on an Album

10.) Tim Hecker -- Ravedeath, 1972
9.) My Morning Jacket -- Circuital
8.) Feist -- Metals

7.) Nicolas Jarr -- Space Is Only Noise

6.) King Creosote & Jon Hopkins -- Diamond Mine
5.) The Weeknd -- House of Balloons 

4.) Shabazz Palaces -- Black Up

3. ) The Field -- Looping State of Mind
2.) Colin Stetson -- New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

1.) Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx -- We're New Here

2011: Top 10 Drumming Performances on an Album

10.) Unknown Mortal Orchestra -- Unknown Mortal Orchestra
9.) Girls -- Father, Son, Holy Ghost
8.) Megafaun -- Megafaun
7.) The Roots -- Undun
6.) tUnE-YarDs - w h o k i l l
5.) Wilco -- The Whole Love

4.) Wild Flag -- Wild Flag

3.) Wye Oak -- Civilian

2.) The Psychic Paramount -- II

1.) Liturgy -- Aesthetica
 

2011: Top 25 Songs of the Year

25.) St. Vincent -- "Cruel"
24.) tUnE-YarDs -- "You Yes You"
23.) Julianna Barwick -- "Keep Up The Good Work"
22.) Lana Del Ray -- "Video Games"
21.) Nerves Junior -- "Left In The Dark"
20.) The Roots -- "The Other Side (Feat. Bilal & P.O.R.N)"
19.) Wye Oak -- "Holy Holy"
18.) Real Estate -- "It's Real"
17.) The Weeknd -- "What You Need"
16.) Drake -- "Take Care (Feat. Rihanna)
15.) The Streets -- "Trust Me"
14.) James Blake -- "The Wilhelm Scream"
13.) Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx -- "Running"
12.) Bill Callahan -- "America!"
11.) Childish Gambino -- "Freaks and Geeks"
10.) Smith Westerns -- "Weekend"
9.) King Creosote & Jon Hopkins -- "Bubble"
8.) Rihanna -- "We Found Love (Feat. Calvin Harris)
7.) Bright Eyes -- "One For You, One For Me"
6.) Bon Iver -- "Perth"
5.) Fleet Foxes -- "Helplessness Blues"
4.) Jay-Z & Kanye West -- "Niggas In Paris"
3.) The Lonely Forest -- "We Sing In Time"
2.) Los Campesinos! -- "By Your Hand"
1.) Wilco -- "Art of Almost"

CATCHY: Drake -- "Take Care"

The best sample of a reinterpretation of a cover.

Nerves Junior -- "Bright As Your Night Light"

Over the last few months or so I have read some reviews calling Nerves Junior's first release a  "masterpiece" and a record that will "change the way listeners look at the world" (eg WeListenForYou and PrettyMuchAmazing). To say the least, I was unbelievably skeptical on my first listen to this debut record by the Louisville foursome. My opinion of this album: it certainly isn't a "masterpiece," but it's a damn good record.... very good in fact. Every year I find about 10 albums that just don't live up to the hype for me, but there is always that one album that stands up to my gauntlet of judgment against over hyped records. As Bright As Your Night Light is that record for me in 2011. What has everyone going nuts for this album is the combination of experimental electronic sounds on this record and straight up psych-rock that also exists on this nine track album. I haven't really heard anything like this before. It combines my favorite aspects of bands as wacky as The Flaming Lips with the brilliant technical musicality one can hear in a band like Radiohead (this is a very extreme comparison, but give this record time and you will start to heard what I am writing of). I wouldn't say this record is a masterpiece only because I feel it doesn't have the songwriting that I hear on a record that is described as a "masterpiece;" but in due time I feel that this band could put out an even better record than this fantastic debut that could warrant the title of "masterpiece." One can't listen to this record and not be totally enamored by the absolutely stunning and brave combination of sounds. Give this one a listen.... you won't regret it.

Nerves Junior -- "Bright As Your Night Light"

Listen to the whole album HERE

Feist -- "How Come You Never Go There"

1,2,3,4... blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah - this is just about the only thing I really knew of Feist prior to this new album, Metals. Furthermore, going into this album, I thought it was going to be obnoxiously twee and cutesy, but I was very wrong. Within the last few weeks this record has steadily grown on me as one of the best albums of the past month or so. For one, it is superbly produced; rarely does a record sound so clean and crisp. Secondly, the song writing is simply out of this world. Lastly and most importantly, the amount of care that was put into the musicality of this record is just unmatched. This is certainly going to go down for me as the album with the best arrangements this year. Moreover, what I love so much about this record is how it sounds. Their something so precious and "adult" about this record. Yes, "adult" is poor word choice here, but it's the best word I can think of to describe the sound of much of this record. Listen to it yourself to see what I mean.

Feist -- "How Come You Never Go There"

CATCHY: Big Deal -- "Chair"

Big Deal -- "Chair"'

Big Deal's debut album, Lights Out, is out via Mute.

MIX: prove to me i'm not gonna die alone

It's been a while, but I am back and here with a new mix. The whole crazy snowstorm this past weekend has inspired me to create a little mix of some rather bleak and scarier sounds. Happy Halloween everyone!

1.) Sonic Youth -- "Providence"
2.) Ex Libras -- "Underachiever"
3.) Zola Jesus -- "Vessel"
4.) Björk -- "Crystaline"
5.) The Dismemberment Plan -- "The City"
6.) Wye Oak -- "Dog Eyes"
7.) The Lonely Forest -- "We Sing In Time"
8.) The Antlers -- "Putting The Dog To Sleep"

Real Estate -- "Easy"

Real Estate, hailing from the great state of New Jersey, put out one of my favorite records of last year; however, I must be honest, when I found out they were putting out their sophomore record this year, I was a little indifferent. I had simply gotten tired of hearing their sound. It became wallpaper to me, but this new record, Days, has reminded me why I love this band so much. They found a sound that's great and they haven't changed anything on this record. I have read a great deal of reviews for Days, some calling this album one of the best of the year and others panning this record because it sounds nearly identical to their debut. My thoughts: when you're hot, change nothing. I may have gotten tired of this band's first record, but this new record is still just a joy to hear. Real Estate is no longer a band experimenting with a sound, but rather a band that is perfecting their craft on Days.

CATCHY: Los Campesinos! -- "By Your Hand"

Los Campesinos! -- "By Your Hand"

Their forthcoming album, Hello Sadness, will be out November 14th/15th.

RECOMMENDED: Megafaun // Megafaun

Like Girls and St. Vincent, Megafaun are a band that have really made a name for themselves very quickly (all these bands just releasing their third studio record). Most impressively, they have come to popular acclaim in the shadow of a  former band member's grand success: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). Vernon has not forgotten his roots however, performing guitar on a few songs on this self-titled album. On first listen, the newest Megafaun album will strike you as the best Grateful Dead album never released. "Real Slow" is a beautiful tribute to Garcia-esque guitar licks and sweeping harmonies. However, the album goes on a few different paths during its 54 minute runtime. This a record of fantastic experimentation, which is certainly something I suggest you see and hear live. Nevertheless, while the cool sounds and guitar distortions that line the outer wall of this record really make this a solid, cohesive album, what really sticks out to me are the "simple" songs. Tracks like "Real Slow," "Get Right," and "Second Friend" are all my favorite cuts because they are a return to true psych-folk, paying homage to bands like The Byrds, Grateful Dead, and a little bit of Crosby, Stills & Nash. This is a record that I think many people will enjoy a great deal on two levels: those of you who love late 60's, early 70's psych-folk will certainly love this, and also for those of you who love great sonic music. I highly suggest you get Megafaun a listen.

Megafaun -- "Get Right" 
Megafaun -- "Second Friend" 
Megafaun -- "Real Slow"

Björk -- "Moon"

To be truthfully honest, I have always had more admiration and respect for Björk, then I actually had enjoyment listening to the music of Björk. She is an absolutely brilliant and creative mind, but her music is often too "out there," especially on her more recent albums. Records like Volta were masterfully conceived, but are often uninviting to the average listener. However, the last few tracks I have heard that are to be on her forthcoming album, Biophilia, which will be the first album to be made in collaboration with apple, have really blown me away. First, "Crystalline" just totally slays me with its almost dubstep-esque/ DJ Shadow's Entroducing sounding climax. Then I heard "Moon," which I also loved for a very different reason. It's a song that will throw many people off because of its compound time signature, but will intrigue many others with its beautiful simplicity. It's a simply stunning piece of music. This song and "Crystalline" are clear signs that Biophilia will be a record that I see being up there with the best of em' from this year, but only time will tell. Be sure to check out Biophilia on October 10th.

R.E.M. Call It Quits

It truly is a sad day, but thank you for all the years of great music... your music will live on forever.

Lana Del Ray -- "Video Games"

When I first read of Lana Del Ray, I was far from intrigued, besides her beauty, which floured me, I thought she was just another pop musician who was getting pointless attention on the blogosphere. However, I clearly read too far into her or maybe didn't read into her enough. I heard "Video Games" just a few nights on NPR's excellent Fall Music Preview (highly suggested). It would be an understatement to say that I just enjoyed the song. It made my jaw drop; it's sexy, beautifully produced, and the vocals are simply stunning. They are magnificently understated alongside of absolutely gorgeous instrumentation. I am sure that this is a young women who is destined to be a shining star very soon. Can't wait to hear more stuff by her, but for now I am very happy to just listen to "Video Games" on repeat.

Lana Del Ray -- "Video Games"

PREVIEW: Altas Sound // Parallax

Bradford Cox, the brilliant man behind both Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, has been one of the most consistent men in music of an "independent" persuasion for about five years now. The guy hasn't put out a bad record... ever. The music Cox puts out under Atlas Sound is often more dreamy and stripped down than on his releases with Deerhunter, but this isn't to say that the man can't put out a great pop song under Atlas Sound. Such is the case with the release of "Mona Lisa," which was a song that many have heard under Cox's Bedroom Databank recordings last year. While "Mona Lisa" is a little "poppier" than most of Cox's past releases, there are certainly still songs on Parallax that are classic Atlas Sound sounding. "Te Amo" is a song that, like "Mona Lisa," I first heard live about a year ago. At the time the song was "Untitled," but I will maybe never forget the first time I heard it because it blew me away. It's some of most beautiful, but yet simple and rudimentary guitar work I have ever heard/seen, especially live. I think this a record that is soon on its way to be considered one of the best records of the year. Be sure to check it out November 7th via 4AD.

Atlas Sound -- "Te Amo"
Atlas Sound -- "Mona Lisa" (Bedroom Databank Version)

2011 Has Finally Arrived...

Maybe it's just me, but this year's music has been rather lackluster. The album's that I expected to land in on "record of the year" material just haven't done it for me. Records like Radiohead's King of Limbs and TV On The Radio's Nine Types Of Light were good records, but didn't hit the media in the event in which I thought they may cause (granted this is all conjecture, so don't kill me). Furthermore, there have been a great deal of pretty enjoyable albums this year, but none that have connected with me on a level that makes me want to listen to them over and over and over again (like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy did for me last year).

However, this past week or so has really brought some albums that I hope others besides myself could see being "record of the year" material. Specifically, Girl's Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Wilco's The Whole Love, and St. Vincent's Strange Mercy are all records that I expect to see great followings for. This I believe will happen because these are all bands that have come into their own on their most recent albums. Girls and St. Vincent have both put out two very solid releases in the past few years, but now have finally come into their own on Father, Son, Holy Ghost and Strange Mercy, respectively. They, like Wilco on their last few records, have been bands that are so very close to being at the top of their game and now have rightfully reached a brief plateau of brilliance.

Wilco -- "Dawned On Me"

Girls -- "Honey Bunny"

St. Vincent -- "Cruel"

The Avett Brothers -- "Laundry Room" (NPR Tiny Desk Concert)

I write this post in response to an intense, but yet fascinating, discussion I had just a few days ago with a passionate music lover. The question was brought up of whether or not a live performance of a song could be better than the recorded version of the song. On the surface, the simple answer to this question is of course yes, but on another level, this is a question that could be answered "no," simply because the song wouldn't exist live without it's conception put on record. To make a long (and stupid) argument short, I told my friend that she should listen to The Avett Brothers' performance of "Laundry Room" for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert. This is my example of a live performance that slays compared to a still great recorded version. I love the record this song is off of, I and Love and You, but whenever I hear it on the record I immediately go to their performance for Tiny Desk. It's brilliant. (Just go to about 28 seconds into the video to hear "Laundry Room")

I MEEEESSED YOOUUU!

Hello again everybody. It's felt like an eternity, but I am back to the blogosphere, specifically our baby, Fell In Love With a Drummer. Between summer internships, and preparing myself for the new school year at Fordham, I have not been up on my game with contributing to FILWAD. But as always, my buddy Greg (who is one of the best guys you could ever know), has stuck with it consistently and I thank him truly. He's a beast. A master of disaster. A 10 pound sausage in a five pound bag. Nevermind.

So with the first post of a new school year, I bring to you my bi-weekly music column for Fordham's newspaper, the Observer. In this issue, I present to you album reviews of Beirut's The Rip Tide, Ganglians' Still Living, and Jay Z and Kanye West's Watch the Throne. Check 'em out at the link below.

http://www.fordhamobserver.com/2011/08/25/end-of-summer-release-party-2/

--Mike

GUEST POST: Will Shears' Review of Thrice's Major/Minor

I am blessed with great friends and luckily, for me, they even like music too (bad excuse for a joke, I know). Seriously though, Will Shears is a long time friend who not only has a great heart, but also has a brilliance with words. I hope you enjoy his post.

It’s not often that one finds themselves in the midst of an album that captivates and invokes such a response that it needs to be shared with the world who are otherwise oblivious. It’s human nature to aimlessly pursue the beauty in all facets of life; with all that goes on in the world and our lives the thought of finding anything that affords us even the smallest glimpse at something we can appreciate is enough to keep us searching for as long as necessary. I consider myself one of the people who personally finds such beauty in well written, emotionally executed, and insightful music. It’s condescending and a bit arrogant for me to simply say I listen to “good music.” Good is a matter of perspective and thus something most people find subjective and of personal preference. But we can ALL say that we enjoy songs that are well written and make us go “wow that’s exactly how I’m feeling.”

With the release of their eighth album, Thrice has remained one of the most consistent rosters I have listened to, and arguably in the music industry. With no roster changes, an endless array of versatile style, and bold and provocative lyrics from Dustin Kensrue, the band has come so very far in the nine years I have listened to them. Thrice is one of the many bands, like Linkin Park (another favorite of mine), who hail from harder-rock roots. Originally classified as a post-hardcore band renowned for their intense and well executed riffs, complex tempo changes, and Dustin Kensrue’s shredded lyrics, Thrice has matured into more of an alternative, experimental rock group who has found that screaming need not always be necessary to leave an impression. Where Kensrue once left crowds head banging at the climax of songs, he now leaves them in awe the whole way through with a melodically captivating voice that truly paints the image with words sketched in ink.

 Major/Minor takes the route that I was desperately hoping it would after I had bought their previous album Beggars. Beggars in my opinion was their most lyrically gifted album that delivered not only a clear and concise point, but showed people that Thrice was simply more than another band “transitioning”, but rather a band trying to bridge the gap between their roots and their future. Needless to say, Beggars left me with all the confidence in the world that this would be achieved, but not quite with that album. Like Linkin Park’s A Thousand Suns I wanted Thrice to touch base with their roots, and kind of bring more of that harder edged rock, to a newer style and lyrical prowess. Major/Minor is everything I hoped that it would be. With a deep-set array of songs that range from tales of domestic abuse (Yellow Belly) to ones that feign the question of our self-destructive tendencies (Promises), Thrice has seemingly taken issues that are popular yet relevant and often taboo, and backed by the sensational lyrics of Dustin Kensrue, are able to invoke a sense of humility and understanding.

Often times Thrice fans, or those who have heard some of their songs have asked, is Thrice a Christian rock band due to the undeniable faith of lead singer Dustin Kensrue, who has professed being devout many times. I can honestly say that while I think they obviously are not, it is Dustin Kensrue’s faith which allows him to continue to deliver morally positive lyrics, backed by a strong emotional undertone. He’s deeply in touch with the fact that he’s human, and that as humans we are deeply flawed, but also that there’s beauty and destruction in this simple fact. These days I don’t think many artists touch on something so deep and personal and so they are often “one hit wonders” or simply something people enjoy in the moment. I can safely say if you’re someone who is constantly searching for that song that empathizes with you, that raises the bigger questions while answering the smaller ones, Major/Minor is absolutely an album you should consider listening to.

Rating: 90/100

-- Will Shears

Thrice -- "Yellow Belly"

Thrice -- "Promises"

CLASSIC: Jeff Buckley -- "Last Goodbye"

I have often thought Jeff Buckley's Grace was a rather overrated record. I now realize I also think dumb things sometimes. Even if I hate the fact that Buckley's brilliant cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is often over credited, songs like the title track and "Last Goodbye" make Grace a totally timeless record.

Jeff Buckley -- "Last Goodbye"

MIX: it starts with an earthquake...

Just a quick little mix I put together in honor of Hurricane Irene...which will shutting off my power in New Brunswick soon I figure.

1. ) Nina Simone -- "I Think It's Going To Rain Today"
2.) The Who -- "Love Reign O'er Me" 
3.) The Jimi Hendrix Experience -- "Rainy Day, Dream Away" 
4.) A Tribe Called Quest -- "Go Ahead In The Rain" 
5.) Minutemen -- "Storm In My House" 
6.) R.E.M. -- "It's The End Of The World"
7.) OK Go -- "Let It Rain"
8.) Bob Dylan -- "Shelter From The Storm" (yes, I know that Dylan's "Hurricane" would have made more sense)
9.) Johnny Cash -- "Goodnight, Irene" 

20 Favorite Songs of 2011... thus far

It's been a while, friends. School is about to start and what better way to kick off the approaching semester than listening to the same 20 songs that I can't get out of my head over and over and over... and over again. These are my favorite songs of 2011 thus far... (no order, but the ones that you can listen to are certainly the ones that I consider my favorites of the moment)

Adele -- "Someone Like You"
The Antlers -- "I Don't Want Love"
Bill Callahan -- "America!" 
Bon Iver -- "Perth"
Childish Gambino -- "Freaks and Geeks"
Cults -- "Go Outside"
Fleet Foxes -- "Helplessness Blues"
Foster The People -- "Pumped Up Kicks"
Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX -- "Running"
Jay-Z and Kanye West (The Throne) -- "Niggas In Paris"
The Lonely Forest -- "We Sing In Time"
Nat Baldwin -- "A Little Lost"
Smith Westerns -- "Weekend"
The Streets -- "Trust Me"
Telekinesis -- "You Turn Clear In The Sun"
tUnE-yArDs -- "Bizness"
The Weeknd -- "House Of Balloons/Glass Table Girls"
Wye Oak -- "Holy Holy"
Yacht -- "Dystopia"
Yuck -- "Operation"

Mother Mother -- "Problems"

I have spent a great deal of time travelling this past week, which meant I spent a lot of time hardly paying attention to the book I was reading, while paying much more attention to whatever I was listening to. I listened to nearly every "big" album release of the year and it finally came to me: this year hasn't been instantly gratifying at all. Not to say that there haven't been a lot of great records, but rather that those records often took time to settle in (i.e. Radiohead's The King of Limbs). However, after a long five and a half hour Bolt Bus ride to Boston, I finally heard a record that was instantly gratifying on first listen: Mother Mother's Eureka. Eureka is the third release from this Vancouver outfit. This band has an energy that I haven't heard from a band in quite some time. Their songs are as cunning as they are fun as hell. I can't get enough of this record. Big ups to We Listen For You for writing about his band.

Mother Mother -- "Problems"

Fountains of Wayne -- "The Summer Place"

I have always gotten a lot of crap over the years for loving Fountains of Wayne. They are just one of those bands that will most likely never receive the mass critical claim they deserve. Fortunately though, for those of you who have a brain and an ear for good music, F.O.W.'s newest single, "The Summer Place," shows that the band hasn't lost a thing in their musicality and lyric writing over the years. "The Summer Place" shows off exactly what this band does best: write fantastic stories about interesting characters in American life. This song is as lyrically witty and enthralling as it is catchy as hell and, like anything else from this great band, kinda funny, but yet a sad tale of being a middle upper class American. I hope the rest of their newest album, which is released today, Sky Full of Holes, is as great as this first single.

Fountains of Wayne -- "The Summer Place"

-- Greg

Top 10 Albums of the Year... thus far

I would have put this list up about 2 months ago, but I'm lazy. Honestly, I just couldn't decide what my top 10 was and I don't even know now. So, this is my top 10 as of this exact moment. To say the least, this list is subject to change.

1. Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues
2. tUnE-YarDs -- w h o k i l l
3. The Weeknd -- House of Balloons
4. Wye Oak -- Civilian
5. Radiohead -- The King of Limbs
6. Julianna Barwick -- The Magic Place
7. Yuck -- Yuck
8. The Antlers -- Burst Apart
9. James Blake -- James Blake
10. Bon Iver -- Bon Iver

-- Greg

M83 -- "Midnight City"

I am normally not a sucker for electro-dance music and truthfully speaking I am not even a huge M83 fan, but man is this song catchy. "Midnight City" is the first single from the band's upcoming double disc album, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Like the album's title, this song evokes a dancing dream... yeah, that doesn't make much sense, I know. Disregard that last very poorly worded statement and just give "Midnight City" a listen. Also, be sure to check out Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, which will be out on October 18h.


-- Greg

Girls -- "Vomit"

First off, I apologize for the rather big delay in posts the past couple weeks. I've actually been recording drums for a friend's album the past few weeks (not like anybody actually cares about my life). Anyways, Girls, a fantastic young band out of San Fransisco, have just released the first song off of their forthcoming album, Father, Son, Holy Ghost. This new song, "Vomit," totally blew me away. It's not at all what I expected from these guys, but it just totally kicks ass. "Vomit" has everything this band has to offer in one. It's dark, but yet glimmering by the end, musically phenomenal, and lyrically simple, but yet beautiful. People often say that a band's got "it." Not really sure what that "it" is, but whatever "it" is... Girls certainly have it. Based on this band's past work and this first song to be released from the new album, I predict to see Father, Son, Holy Ghost, in my top albums of this year. Father, Son, Holy Ghost, will be out on September 13th... CHECK IT OUT!


-- Greg

VIDEO: Cults -- "Go Outside"

Finally, the "actual" Cults video for their hit "Go Outside." I guess the one done for MTV with Emma Roberts and Dave Franco wasn't "official?" I have no idea, but all I know is that this new video is even better. The found footage that you will be watching is from a news report of  the Jonestown cult  massacre, which is such a shocking, interesting, and just weird event that I didn't think this video would work because of how happy the actual song is and how... well not happy the subject of the video is, but I love it. This video completely contextualizes the song in a new light for me.


-- Greg

The Tallest Man On Earth -- "Weather of a Killing Kind"

A totally approriate (it's pouring here in Jersey) new song by my favorite folk musician of recent memory. I really hope this means a new Tallest Man On Earth record will becoming soon.

COVER: They Might Be Giants -- "Tubthumping" (Chumbawamba)

Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" is a pretty stupid song; fortunately however, it is also a fantastically fun song. It is quite possibly the worst best song ever written. The last time I heard this song was during a massive drunk dance fest at a summer beach house in LBI... it was the time of my life so this song has a close place in my heart as of late. That being said, when I heard that the quirky veterans of They Might Be Giants were covering this song I thought this could either go two ways: really poorly or extremely well. I will let you be the judge, but I absolutely love it and it is my pick to win A.V. Club's Undercover competition.



They Might Be Giants covers Chumbawamba


-- Greg

Adele -- "Someone Like You"

This year has been quite the year for pop music. By that I mean two things: 1.) many great pop artists have made some very solid records this year (Beyoncé and Lady Gaga to name a few) and 2.) a few Indie musicians have become surprisingly "popular," which is always nice to see (e.g. Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" and Bon Iver's newest album, which was second this week on Billboard's charts). However, if there has been one artist that has truly blossomed into a future star for the ages it would certainly have to be Adele. After her first album, 19, everybody could see that this was a special young artist, but with this new album, 21, she has truly come into her element. 21 is an absolutely beautiful breakup record that crushes me every time I hear it. If "Rolling In The Deep" didn't make people realize that Adele was a star, then the song below, the second single from her new album, will. "Someone Like You" is quite possibly the most gorgeous song I have heard in the last year. I have no problems admitting that I have gotten chocked up listening to this song... it's that powerful.


Adele -- "Someone Like You"

-- Greg 

Wilco -- "I Might"

To say that I just "like" Wilco is a grand understatement. They are arguably one of my favorite bands of all time and Jeff Tweedy is certainly up there with some of favorite songwriters of all time. So, to hear new material from them after an album that I thought was just alright compared to their whole discography (it was still better than most album I heard last year... that's how great they are) gets me extremely excited. Their newest single, "I Might" was released along with a cover of Nick Lowe's "I Love My Label" (a great song to cover considering this is Wilco's first release on their very own new label, dBpm) at this past weekend's Solid Sound Festival, Wilco's festival. I gotta' say that this new single is superb. I love the vibe, the instrumentation, and the production. And no, I am not just saying that because I love Wilco. I really think "I Might" is a great song and will lead to a fantastic new album, which will hopefully be out this September. Tweedy has also hinted that the album will be entitled The Whole Love. I haven't been this excited for an album in a long time. Let's hope it's another classic from these gents.

Wilco -- "I Might"

Wilco -- "I Love My Label" (Nick Lowe Cover)

-- Greg

RISING: Footyhip

Judging a blog's character and quality is a difficult task. What makes one blog better than another? Do you read a particular blog just because of their music taste? Their news? Their editorials? I think the answer to my first question lies in between the lines of the page. What defines a good blog is one that is passionate and genuine about their literally endeavors, whether that may be music, sports, food, etc.

That being said, I am happy to say that I have found my new favorite blog: Footyhip, a site that certainly defines what good blogging is. Footyhip is a up-and-coming blog created by three witty, intelligent, and most importantly, passionate young college students. The "footy" aspect of their blog contains writing about their love of soccer, while the "hip" refers to all that is their passion for great music. They have already turned me onto many great artists including Foster The People and Ace Enders (I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business). Although they may be a relatively new blog, I already envision a bright future for these guys. Some blogs fly by on mediocre, bland, and unimaginative writing, while blogs like Footyhip are paving the way for what true blogging is. Their work is a clear labor of love and deserves some recognition. Check out Footyhip!

http://footyhip.com/

-- Greg